Gliding boat.



D.'LA CHAPELLE.

GLIDING BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED APR-25,19HL 1,221,871.

PatentdApr. 10,1917.

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D. LA CHAPELLE.

GLIDING BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 25, 1916- 1,21,71 a. Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

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DUVAL LA CHAPELLE, OF NYAGK, NEW YORK.

GLIDING BOAT.

Application filed April 25, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DUVAL LA GHAPELLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Nyack, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Gliding Boat, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to ships and has particular reference to the novel construction of boathulls adapting the same not only for improved gliding action, but for i11- creased comfort to the occupants of the hull.

Amongthe objects of the invention therefore is to construct a boat hull of the flat bottom or gliding type and adapted for high speed operation, providing for the least amount of shock to the occupants of the boat due to the impact while the boat is skipping'or gliding from one crest to another.

Another object of the invention is to improve the form of the bottom of the boat with respect to its cross section, whereby it is caused to ride up easier to or upon the surface of the water while starting or get ting under way.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention. is not restricted to the exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating a practical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation .of my im proved gliding boat;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a top plan;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on the line 44: of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of a slight modification; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional detail on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I show a boat whose hull is designed particularly for high speed opera tion, preferably by means of propelling devices including a motor 10 and a fan propeller 11 similar to propelling devices employed on aeroplanes, and from which I secure in practice a speed of the boat approximating that of an. ordinary aeroplane. The

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

Serial No. 93,407.

' propelling devices are preferably located at the stern 12 of the hull and the propelling devices are adapted to be controlled by any well known or approved devices which need not be shown herein.

As shown in plan, the boat hull is broad and comparatively flat, but having its front or how 13 tapered or approximately triangular with the apex thereof directed for wardly. I am of course aware that this gencralpointed shape is not new, but one of the chief features of novelty consists of the arrangement of a series of transverse pontoons 14:, 15, and 16. The pontoons 14: are of substantially similar construction and have a width corresponding to the full width of the hull. The bottom of each of these pontoons is inclined slightly: rearwardly, and downwardly, and in this direction is substantially straight in cross section. Transversely, however, (as' shown best in Fig. 4; and indicated in Fig. 6) the bottom 17 of each pontoon is slightly convex at its center. This convexity of the bottoms of the pontoons serves at least two. important functions, namely, first, the stability of the craft is increased due to the lessening of tendency to rock laterally, and secondly, the transverse curvature tends to cause the water beneath the boat to be confined instead of being pushed or forced laterally from the boat, with the result that while the boat is starting or getting under way, the reaction of the water is vastly more efiective to cause the boat to be elevated to or toward the surface of the water, and thereby the resistance of the water is reduced to a great extent.

The boat is shown provided with a substantially fiat deck 18 having side rails 19 and intermediate longitudinal parallel rails 20. At the how I provide end rails 21 which extend forwardly from the front end of side rails 19, each end rail being inclined so as to extend at its upper edge forward beyond the lower edge. At the front ends of the rails 21 they intersect the front ends of the rails 20 where they extend beyond and over the front pontoon 16. A rail :22 of a length corresponding to the width of the pontoons 15 and 16, connects the front ends of the rails 20 and this rail is inclined downwardly and rearwardly toward the front edge of said front pontoon 16. The form of this front rail 22 provides that it merges with an easy curvature into the curved front portion of the front pontoon. I11 this connection it will be noted that each pontoon has afront rounded edge which projects forwardly beneath the rearwardly projecting edge or end of the next pontoon in front. I wish .to point out also at this time that the rear end of the convex bottom 17 of each pontoon is straight in its horizontal element. In other words, the curvature of the bottom is greatest justat the bottom of the curved front end of' the pontoon and becomes shallower as it approaches the straight-rear edge (see Fig. 6). .This construction provides the greatest buoyant effect of the pontoons.

As already intimated, the two front pontoons 15 and lGare narrower in their transverse dimension than the pontoons 14. By

this fact I am able to skip from one breaker to another or from crest to crest of the Waves Without experiencing any material d1scomfort due to the impact, whereas in my experience with gliding boats as heretofore proposed where the bottom ofthe boat is substantially flat throughout, the impact is terrific when riding at high speed. from crest to crest. In Fig. 2 I show the-pontoons 15 and 116 of thesame width, but in. Fig. 5 I show the pontoon of a width intermediate the widths of the pontoons 14 and 16.

At 23 I show a body provided with seats 24% and 25 for the passengers and a seat 26 for the pilot, who may be provided with a hand Wheel 27 indicative of any suitable steering'devices including a front rudder 28 and a rear rudder 29.

For convenience in storage or transportation of this machine, it is-preferably made 'of a knockdown structure, the pontoons beof the pontoons having its bottom surface curved upwardly transversely of the hull bottom, and means to connect the pontoons to the deck structure.

2. In a gliding boat, the combination of a series of transverselv extending pontoons, each pontoon having its bottom surface pro- Y vided with a downwardly and rearwardly curved front edge, said curve merging into a surface having straight elements from front to rear but curved upwardly transversely, and means holding the several pontoons in operative position with respect to one an- DUVAL. LA GHAPELLE.

' other.

- 1Gopies of this patent'may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentl Washington, 20.0. 

